Action Comics #1015 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Szymon Kudranski

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Published by: DC

After an amazing debut in her own six-issue title earlier this year, Naomi is now making her “official” appearance in the DC Universe as a guest-star in this issue of Action Comics. And what a debut it was. 

At the tail-end of the last issue, Superman spotted a person descending from the sky in an uncontrolled fashion and raced to see who it was. At the beginning of this issue, we get the perspective of that person, Naomi, as she is hurtling to Earth. The first three pages are reserved by Bendis to showcase the thoughts that are going through Naomi’s head as she is making her way to Metropolis, powers completely new, recapping her situation to those who did not read her comic. And what a situation it is (I recommend reading her series which should be out in trade at this point). 

Bendis has always had a good grasp of witty dialogue, and he showcases this throughout the book. I actually laughed out loud at the street vendors reaction to Superman rebuilding his cart after Naomi accidentally destroyed it as an example. Naomi’s interactions with Superman felt natural and you got the sense of kinship between the two as they shared their stories. The act of Superman bringing her to the Hall of Justice to have her checked out (she did just get her powers) was a nice touch and also allowed her to interact with a few more League characters. Her reaction to meeting Batman is exactly how all characters should react to meeting Batman. 

The second-half of the book ties in to the Year of the Villain crossover event as a suped-up Red Cloud is clashing with Thorn before Superman comes to intervene. It feels a little tacked on to the issue, though there was a prelude last issue and it does act as a perfect set-up for the upcoming issue. 

The art team of Kudranski and Anderson do a great throughout the issue as they keep up with the script really well. Anderson shines whenever Red Cloud is on the page as you can feel the smoke/cloudiness come off the page. As for Kudranski, my favorite part in the whole issue for him is when Superman and Naomi begin to fly. Showcasing a steady Superman and a very unsteady Naomi was a really good visual.